, 1887-02-06
FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN.
A Michigan Volunteer Tells the Story o
the Famous Panic and Stampede.

A Michigan Volunteer Tells the Story Of
the Famous Panic and Stampede.
The attempt to stop the retreat &C.
CURED at a causeway about two miles
north of Centreville. | had been sent as
q courier from Blackburn ford to Centre
vile, and h panic swept me along with
the rest. | was only a kid of a boy, ~
years old, and a bandmaster, who wanted
to reach Washington soone than any
n else, pulled me off my horse and left
me to plod my way on foot. AT least
5000 panicstricken soldiers had passed
along ahead of me.
We We're in horrible confusion, some
mounted. some afoot, and ambulances,
baggage wagons, army teams and pri-
vate carriages pushing along as fast as
possible, when | jumped into an army
wagon to which was attached our
horses. The driver was in his saddle oil
the nigh wheel horse, and seemed to be
taking the matter very coolly, but l had
scarcely got into the vehicle when there
was a shout of rebel cavalry all along
the road, and the teamster was hard
struck by it. He got down and began to
cut one of the leaders loose. and l got
down and took the other, leaving the
wagon anu tnt uttl nOlStS III lllt olut
of the road. l stripped off everything
but the bride, and had scarcely mounted
when a corporal handed me up two large
cans of chicken. which had come from a
wagon filed with hospital stores. As L
had a can under each arm. | could not
guide the horse, but he trotted along i'll
the crowd for half a mile until. as we
descended a hill. | saw ahead of me a
causeway, a carriage turned around
across the road, and six or eight men i'll
line in front of the carriage. Not catch
ing on to what was up, and still holding
to the cans, my horse kept his place until
Zach Chandler seized him by the bits and
called out to me;
"Young man, take that horse back
over the hill: he belongs to the govern
ment."
l saw guns in the hands of the citizens,
heard them shouting and swearing at the
soldiery, and then let fall the cans and
turned the horse around. | had not gone
200 feet when there was a great shout,
and | looked around TO see the valiant
congressman driving north at full speed.
Their effort to stop the retreat didn't last
five minutes. As they sprang into their
carriage the soldiers seized the wheels to
hold them, and two or three attempted to
secure a free ride. The New jersey regi-
ment occupied the causeway, but opened
ranks to let the tide through, and many
of the men flung down their muskets and
joined in the flight.
On three different occasions after 1862
| met Mr.. Chandler. and recalled the in
cident, and he agreed with me i'll every
detail. The man who accidently shot
Mai. Eaton was the teamster who had
given me one of his horses. We rode the
pair through to Washington side by side.
One who remembers that panic will
laugh at the idea of five or six citizens
seeking to check it. Had there been a
brigade of troops across the highway 1t
could not have held the frightened tide
five minutes. Had Chandler, Wade and
their crowd delayed another minute they
would have been trampesi into h earth.
Every MAJ felt hat h. vas being pur-
sued for his life, and when commissioner
officers were tearing oil their insignia OF
rank, hinging away their side arms and
warming all around them To hurry. what
could be expected of the private soldier
am sorry that Ben Wade didn't cut .
heroic figure ut that causeway to max,
up for the slip three or four miles away
earlier in the day. As | rode a short cui
to find my regiment. Il solid shot pass,
near me, smashed an ambulance and tor
the splinters from a beach tree. Bul
Run Russell, Wade. Chandler and othe
civilians We're just beyond, and the wa,
they got up and left that section of Nir
ginia was laughable to soc. | got tou
or five pages of Russell's manuscript,
cane belonging to some congressman an
could have gathered up two or three pluj
hats and a museum of TASKS and luncheon
baskets.
The congressional crowd went out 4
see the ~Confederates get licked. NhcI
they found that the O o was on the othe
foot every man of en-, was IL PAM
stricken as the youngest soldier, and iii
stead Of playing the heroic, except in til
one instance mentioned, they We're wish
ing for wings 10 fly to Washington
Volunteer, First Michigan Infantry i
New York sun.
Postmaster Conger Of Washington, u
~ u.a r.At1r .t,r.I l.r naI Gfa